1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reading apparatus for performing colorimetry of a color pattern formed on a sheet, and a printing apparatus including the reading apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-281549 discuses an ink jet printer including a colorimetric apparatus. This colorimetric apparatus performs colorimetry of a printed color pattern for color calibration and, based on colorimetric data, adjusts colors of a color image to be subsequently printed, thus reproducing desired colors. The printer records color patches as a color pattern for color calibration, and then the colorimetric apparatus performs colorimetry of the color patches with a colorimetric sensor moving in the sheet width direction.
With the colorimetric apparatus, with the sheet being pressed by a presser plate, a carriage on which a colorimetric sensor is mounted moves on the presser plate, and the colorimetric sensor reads the color patches, thus performing colorimetry. When the carriage on which the colorimetric sensor is mounted separates from the presser plate, the presser plate rotates to move away from the sheet.
With the colorimetric apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-281549, the sheet conveyance path in a printing unit and a colorimetric unit is greatly inclined downward in the gravity direction, as illustrated in FIG. 4 in Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-281549. Therefore, to increase the capacity of a sheet storage unit for storing discharged sheets disposed at the bottom of the printing apparatus, it is necessary to totally raise the position of main portions of the printing apparatus 100 above the sheet storage unit, and increasing the size of the printing apparatus in the height direction cannot be avoided. This issue becomes distinct particularly with a printing apparatus of the large-format size. With such an apparatus, unused roll sheet is set at the highest position, which may exceed the height of the user's waist. In this case, the user finds it difficult to set heavy roll sheet.